Charcoal grills have been in existence for a number of decades and generally consist of a firebox which has a charcoal support grid located in a bottom section thereof and a cooking grid located above and spaced from the charcoal support grid. While numerous outdoor cooking devices have resorted to gas in place of the charcoal, many consumers still desire the charcoal grill because charcoal adds a desirable flavor to the food that is being cooked.
One of the difficulties with charcoal grills is the lighting of the charcoal. Generally speaking, it is customary to spray the charcoal with a lighter fluid or liquid that is very combustible and then ignite the liquid to heat the charcoal to the desired temperature for cooking purposes. This is a very dangerous procedure, since explosions can readily occur if too much liquid is placed on the charcoal. Furthermore, the liquid is generally a butane, which is very readily combustible. In addition, many times, the lighter fluid that is being used produces an undesirable flavor in the food that is being cooked.
Additionally, governing bodies and individuals have recognized the negative environmental impact resulting from the use of lighter fluids and liquids. This concern is so great that some municipalities and states are considering ordinances and laws to ban the use of lighter fluids and liquids.
Many devices have been proposed for eliminating the need for lighter fluid to ignite the charcoal. For example, a number of different electric igniters are in existence and can be utilized with a proper power source for igniting the charcoal. However, many times an electrical power source is not available. Numerous other types of starters utilizing propane gas have also been proposed. However, most of these are portable in nature and require a gas source. Furthermore, such devices are intended to be temporarily placed into the grill below the charcoal to provide the ignition. Thus, there remains a need for a simplified solution for igniting charcoal and one that is permanently incorporated into the charcoal grill.